* New legal options for making data open
* Response to Library of Congress report
* Open Environmental Data project
* Talk at the first COMMUNIA workshop
* Other news in brief
* Support the Open Knowledge Foundation!
* Further information

NEW LEGAL OPTIONS FOR MAKING DATA OPEN
======================================

In December Science Commons announced the 'Protocol for Implementing
Open Access Data'. Jordan Hatcher simultaneously launched the 'Public
Domain Dedication & License (PDDL)'. Both were developed with input and
feedback from the Open Knowledge Foundation to ensure compliance with
the Open Knowledge Defition (opendefinition.org).

A beta of a new Creative Commons license for data, CCZero, has also just
been released.

The OKF responded to the Library of Congress report on the 'Future of
Bibilographic Control' making the case that they should promote open
licensing for bibliographic metadata. Over 150 groups and individuals
co-signed the response, including Lawrence Lessig, Brewster Kahle and
Tim O’Reilly.

The Open Environmental Data project aims to document public domain and
other freely reusable environmental datasets. In addition to registering
packages of data on CKAN, we'd like to provide an overview of relevant
research organisations, data distributors and free/open source software,
as well as summarising law and policies specifically pertaining to
environmental data.

TALK AT THE FIRST COMMUNIA WORKSHOP
===================================

COMMUNIA, the new 'European Thematic Network on the Digital Public
Domain' had their first workshop in January. The OKF suggested COMMUNIA
members work together to to create a set of 'public domain calculators'
and to pool open metadata - whether for artistic works or databases.

SUPPORT THE OPEN KNOWLEDGE FOUNDATION!
======================================

A donation to the Open Knowledge Foundation would greatly help us with
our overhead costs, including hosting (currently around £1000/year) and
project development. To find out more about supporting our work, please
visit:

The Open Knowledge Foundation is a not-for-profit organization. It is
incorporated in the United Kingdom as a company limited by guarantee
with company number 5133759. The registered office is 37 Panton Street,
Cambridge, CB2 1HL, UK.